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APCanadian Army probes secret Facebook group accused of hosting racist, homophobic, antisemitic posts as military faces new extremism scandal
Canada鈥檚 top military leaders are facing renewed pressure over far-right extremism in the ranks, following explosive revelations that soldiers participated in a secret Facebook group, “Blue Hackle Mafia, “allegedly filled with racist, antisemitic, misogynistic, and homophobic content.The Canadian Army has now launched a disciplinary and criminal investigation, while the group鈥檚 exposure is sparking international concern about how military institutions in democratic countries are handling internal radicalization.鈥淚 am disgusted by the content of some of the posts,鈥 Army Commander Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright wrote in a message obtained by CBC. 鈥淭his kind of behaviour is abhorrent, dangerous, and it undermines everything we stand for.鈥漈he military police, which initially transferred the matter to a unit-level investigation, reopened a full inquiry on June 27. The Office of the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal said the new probe is ongoing.But experts say this isn鈥檛 just a disciplinary matter, it鈥檚 a strategic failure with national and global consequences.Live EventsA NATO problem?A growing extremism problem within its armed forces not only threatens internal cohesion but may undermine joint operations, intelligence sharing, and multinational trust.鈥淲hen soldiers trained by the state are exposed to radical ideologies, it鈥檚 not just a Canadian problem, it鈥檚 a NATO security issue,鈥 said defence analyst Leah West, a former Canadian Forces member and professor at Carleton University.Recent history supports that concern. Former Canadian reservist Patrik Mathews was sentenced to nine years in a US federal prison for his role in a neo-Nazi plot to trigger a race war.鈥淲hite supremacist groups actively seek military-trained individuals,鈥 a 2021 Canadian intelligence report warned, adding that some extremists enlist specifically to gain tactical skills and weapons expertise.The 鈥淏lue Hackle Mafia鈥 group wasn鈥檛 discovered through high-level surveillance or internal vetting. It was reported through informal complaints, suggesting that existing safeguards failed to detect and intercept the threat early.A 2022 military advisory panel called Canada鈥檚 extremism response 鈥渟iloed and inefficient,鈥 urging faster intelligence coordination and proactive monitoring.The defence department has faced years of criticism for downplaying extremism, especially in rural reserve units and remote deployments where oversight is thinner.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onCanada militaryBlue Hackle MafiaNATOantisemiticracistCanadian Armydefence departmentright wingextremism(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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